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HH Tarp Problems.

I bought the HH ultra-light explorer and the tarp it comes with sucks! It barely covers. If there's so much as a little wind "game over".. -- does anyone feel my pain with this one.

Now I need to get a new tarp before I thru the entire AT..

Here's my problem ( " I have no Idea what to get" ) The MacCat looks good.. but what will work the best?

I wrote HH and told them that their "stock tarp" is simply not big enough and that I have read multiple complaints about it on different forums after I bought it of course.. They said I could exchange it for a larger version called the Hex and of course pay the difference. Does anyone have experiance with this one the "Hex" . The HH company now lacks credibility on my part what if that one sucks to?

I just wish there was somewhere I could go to actually see these set ups.. Buying things site unseen/untested is not my bag... I know theres a campout at the end of Jan. but I'am not sure if I be able to make it..

I also felt that the stock HH tarp was insufficient. I ended up with a MacCat Deluxe and love it. Exchanging the stock tarp for the hex and paying the difference sounds like a real bargain and prolly your cheapest option short of making one yourself.

HH has a very good reputation for excellent customer service. In most instances they will bend over backwards to see the customers satisfied.

Plenty of people have done just fine with the stock HH tarps...not much room to cook or dress and not very comfortable, but with proper site selection and pitch it's adequate. Sgt Rock went through a hurricane with his.

But if you want more comfort (like most of us), there are several options. The HH Hex is one, and probably your cheapest if you take his offer. I haven't used these tarps but I've seen them - they're very roomy, if a bit heavier than some other options, and the ones I saw seemed to be well-made. The MacCats are awesome and pitch MUCH tighter than the Hex, and you can pick your size. I use the Standard and haven't gotten wet in the rain...others here like the huge Deluxe. Brian, who posts here and on several other forums, makes the MacCats. And JRB (made by Peter Pan and Smee) offers an 8x8 that gives an 11+' ridgeline and plenty of room for cooking and changing, plus keeps the ground pitching options of a square tarp.

And there are plenty of non-hammock-specific tarps that will work fine. A standard 8x10, for example.

So I wouldn't be quite so hard on HH - the tarp has been proven adequate by lots of users, and Tom H. doesn't claim that the stock tarps are large and comfortable...just that they'll keep the hammock dry when pitched correctly. So if you want more than "adequate," and many of us are with you on that one, then it's a personal decision rather than a shortcoming of Hennessy Hammocks. But that's the beauty of this kind of gear - you can customize it however you want to. And a bigger tarp is one of the options many of us choose.

JMHO, of course.

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

I'm probably one of the minority of hangers who prefer the stock HH tarps.

I have the original tarp that came with my HH ULBA, and it works just fine. I've survived some pretty intense Louisiana downpours, with some kick-V$$ winds, and was high and dry. And I was here during SGT Rock's hurricane, though not camped out in it. His story is what sold me on the HH. Someone offered me another "Stock" tarp cheap, so I bought it. Turns out it's about a foot longer than my original "stock" fly, and just about the same width. I'm pleased as can be with it. Coverage is WAY more than adequate now. So before you say "it's too small", try it. Learn how to use it. Set it up in your backyard. Sleep out in the rain. Learn to adjust the sides and slide it back and forth on the support ropes like it's designed to do. It's about 1/3 the weight of my 8 x 10 tarp (7 oz vs 20 oz). I prefer it for solo trips. (And please don't knock Tom Hennessy. He runs a great company.)

I'm probably one of the minority of hangers who prefer the stock HH tarps.

I have the original tarp that came with my HH ULBA, and it works just fine. I've survived some pretty intense Louisiana downpours, with some kick-V$$ winds, and was high and dry. And I was here during SGT Rock's hurricane, though not camped out in it. His story is what sold me on the HH. Someone offered me another "Stock" tarp cheap, so I bought it. Turns out it's about a foot longer than my original "stock" fly, and just about the same width. I'm pleased as can be with it. Coverage is WAY more than adequate now. So before you say "it's too small", try it. Learn how to use it. Set it up in your backyard. Sleep out in the rain. Learn to adjust the sides and slide it back and forth on the support ropes like it's designed to do. It's about 1/3 the weight of my 8 x 10 tarp (7 oz vs 20 oz). I prefer it for solo trips. (And please don't knock Tom Hennessy. He runs a great company.)